Orwell’s Ghosts: Wisdom and Warnings for the 21st Century
歐威爾的靈魂: 給21世紀的啟示與預警
內容介紹
★紀念反烏拖邦小說《1984》出版第75週年，歷史學者蘿拉·比爾斯（Laura Beers）探索了喬治·歐威爾（George Orwell）至今仍發人深省的觀念
喬治·歐威爾將他的職業生涯奉獻給揭露社會不公和政治，敦促他的讀者去檢視西方社會和政治可能會出現的極權主義。如今，小說中的場景與議題和我們時代驚人相似之處使得他的小說更顯得重要: 像是社會日益加劇的不平等、國家審查制度以及傳統社會制度遇到的挑戰等等。歐威爾和他的經典反烏托邦小說《1984》的預警已經在今日成為現實，政治光譜的兩端自由與保守兩派都接受了歐威爾主義的修辭。
在《歐威爾的幽靈》中，歷史學家蘿拉·比爾斯透過歐威爾的全部作品(包括他的六部小說、三部非虛構作品以及關於政治、語言和階級制度的精彩論文)，來探討“歐威爾式”(Orwellian)這個詞的真正含義，並揭示了這位被誤解的思想家的複雜性。蘿拉·比爾斯探討了歐威爾關於言論自由的作品如何呼應了現今“假新聞”(fake news)的氾濫和“取消文化”(cancel culture)的出現，突顯了他對資本主義和英國帝國的壓迫性本質的生動批評，並分析了歐威爾對女性主義的誤解。
及時、議題廣泛、發人深省，《歐威爾的幽靈》探討了一位捍衛真理和自由者的小說家如何能幫助現在的我們面對當下的危機。
作者介紹
蘿拉·比爾斯(Laura Beers)是華盛頓特區美國大學的英國歷史教授，她在美國特區和英國約克兩地輪流工作。她曾就讀普林斯頓大學和哈佛大學，後來成為劍橋大學的博士後研究員。她是哈佛大學出版社出版的《Your Britain: Media and the Making of the Labour Party》和《Red Ellen: The Life of Ellen Wilkinson》的作者。《歐威爾的幽靈》(Orwell’s Ghosts)是她第一本面對一般讀者的大眾讀物。
書評
"A critical assessment of the contribution that George Orwell's writings can make to contemporary social, economic, and political problems."
― Kirkus Reviews
"A valuable exploration of what it actually means to be 'Orwellian.'"
― Publishers Weekly
"Nearly three quarters of a century after George Orwell’s death, ‘Orwellian’ is one of the most misused adjectives in the lexicon. In this fascinating and timely study, Laura Beers teases out the real meaning of the word and its implications for the social and political arrangements of the twenty-first century."
― D. J. Taylor, author of Orwell: The New Life
"Laura Beers’s reassessment of George Orwell’s legacy seamlessly weaves past and present to offer insightful lessons and cautions for our own time."
― Allan J. Lichtman, author of Repeal the Second Amendment
"A brilliantly insightful study of George Orwell. All those interested in Orwell and our world today should read this book."
― Peter Stansky, author of The Unknown Orwell
"A perfectly timed and desperately needed book."
― Tristan Snell, author of Taking Down Trump
"Laura Beers’s book shows how Orwell’s often forgotten socialist politics ought to matter to his legacy―and how the anti-racism and feminism of our present demonstrate Orwell’s limitations. The wonderful results suggest that the relation between past and present is anything but simple."
― Samuel Moyn, author of Liberalism Against Itself
"Laura Beers reveals how Orwell’s politics, shaped by the tragedies of the first half of the twentieth century, can be brought to bear to understand our own age of insecurity. An essential read."
― Rt. Hon. Rachel Reeves, MP, shadow chancellor of Exchequer
"With all and sundry taking Orwell’s name in vain these days, it is timely to have a reminder of who he was and what he believed in, and also how his body of work can help us understand the world we live in now. Just the insight it offers to his work beyond the best-known titles makes Orwell’s Ghosts well worth reading."
― Nicola Sturgeon, former first minister of Scotland